Category Archives: Estelar in the community

In Costa Rica, as in many countries, Father’s Day was celebrated this past Sunday, June 19. In Costarican culture, this day is celebrated in a ceremony among family where multiple generations get together to share a special dinner.

Along with presents and hugs, the family tells stories that showcase their father’s greatness. These anecdotes include all of the “firsts”: first diaper change, first time teaching us to ride a bike without training wheels, and taking us to our first day of kindergarten. Jokingly we recall story after story from when we were little and Dad made the day.

Even though we grow up to be adults, every step we take in life is as if we were taking the first. Let’s go champ! Let’s go princess! You can do it, keep going! They are words of love, support and motivation that give us strength along the way.

Thank you to all the fathers for your wise words, corrections and lessons that you give us, for the smiles and tears that we have lived together and most of all, for the unconditional love.

We are proud to announce that, in collaboration with Bona Responds, we are organizing a volunteer event to clean up the Liberia River. The event takes place on April 10th as part of the International Service Weekend.

Instituto Estelar Bilingüe does not exist in isolation from the community. We constantly seek out opportunities to help others, whether it be picking up trash, visiting the elderly, giving free language classes to impoverished kids, or assisting with programs that provide homes and treatment to stray animals. We currently give scholarships to local students who are dedicated to learning English but cannot afford classes. In the near future we plan to give financial support to organizations making a difference in the community. The River Cleanup is perfect opportunity to show our commitment to the Liberia community!

Tuesday February 9th was the first day Michael participated with the volunteers project Club A, which is an important part of the activities of Instituto Estlar Bilingue. He was already informed about the activities and the purpose of the project. Visit http://clubaliberia.wix.com/club-a for a comprehensive explanation about Club A.

The town Martina Bustos, which is located within a ten minute drive from the center of Liberia, made huge impression on Michael. He was already told it was a very poor town and the further we drove in to town, it only got worse. He had never seen anything like it except in a movie or on tv. Homes made of corrugated iron and very bad roads. You had to drive careful to go around all the holes and bumps in the road

Arriving at the destination, the atmosphere changed immediately. There was a large group of kids who were super happy to see the volunteers. Stepping out of the car, the volunteers were immediately hugged and kissed by the happy kids. Michael, who was there for the first time was joyfully welcomed as well. Everything suggested this was the best moment of their day.

The day started with giving out a cold refreshment, cookies and a banana, which the kids royally enjoyed. The rest of the program existed of; English class, math and reading. The kids were sorted based on age. The youngest were 5/6 years old, the middle group 7/8 and the oldest were aged 9 – 11.

Michael supported Carlin in the English classes. What you can expect of the English class is practicing some basic sentences in a joyful way. Carlin kept the girls busy while Michael took care of the boys. What is your name? My name is David! How old are you? I am seven! How are you? I am fine! Michael naturally talked about football, I like football! Clothes were translated as well. This is when Michael saw one of the kids wearing a football short of the national team of Holland, which is funny since he is from Holland.

After practicing they played the game hot potato, where everybody stood in a circle and passed around to balls, if Carlin stopped, the two kids holding the ball had to get in the middle and answer one of the practiced questions.

After all the groups went through the three classes, we said goodbye and drove back to Liberia. Michael almost forgot where we were but on the way back, he was reminded when he saw the trash burning at the side of the ‘road.’ He thought it was a heavy but beautiful experience to help the underprivileged kids in their personal development and by this hopefully giving them a better future. He is already looking forward to next week!

Club A is an opportunity for many low-income children from the Martina Bustos community in Liberia to create a better tomorrow. With love, dedication, and big smiles, we make a strong effort each Tuesday to offer the best English education, snacks, and tutoring in other areas of school that the children need.

Club A has been so successful that this year 80 boys and girls have signed up to start a great year! With this many kids, we need more helping hands. We need volunteers or sponsors to support Club A by contributing materials, activities, snacks, money, or simply a little of your time to show these kids love and a smile.

Volunteers play an important role. They aren’t just a name on a list of people, but rather a role model for a child in the community. Be a hero!

Help us to make dreams a reality. This year let’s allow these 80 children to have a better education, and a better opportunity to grow up and become exemplary in the Costa Rica of tomorrow.

Is there anything more gratifying than a child’s happiness? Be a part of Club A and share this beautiful experience.

If you follow our blog, you may remember Vera. Vera is on the staff at Instituto Estelar where she does an amazing job of keeping our school clean and beautiful. She is a single mom who works very hard to provide for her family. Her two children are happy, healthy, and able to attend English classes at our institute thanks to generous donators who want to help them improve their situation.

Vera is very humble and does not like to ask for help. However, with the rainy season upon us, she found that her house has various leaks and is prone to flooding. Although her home is basically made of simple sheet metal, it is surprisingly expensive to buy the materials necessary to fix the problems. The repairs, which come out to be about $400, are much more than she can afford.

Please help fix Vera’s house! Even a small donation can make a big difference for Vera and her children. If you are able to help, please contact us at info@estelarcr.com to find out how you can give.

It has been one year since we started recognizing the amazing people of Instituto Estelar in the form of Stellar Teacher of the Month and Student of the Month — “Estelares del Mes.” We are so proud to have such incredible staff and students that make our school great! We want to recognize this achievement one more time and thank them for their hard work, positive attitudes, and stellar dedication.

“I think the best way of doing good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.” -Benjamin Franklin

At Instituto Estelar Bilingüe, we believe that education can be the greatest fighter of poverty. For this reason, we are excited about an up-and-coming non-profit organization right here in Liberia! Instituto Estelar is proud to support the efforts of Club A, an organization dedicated to helping local underprivileged children continue in school and excel. Club A provides tutoring, English lessons, and a healthy snack to select groups of children from Nazareth Elementary School. In addition, Club A is raising funds to help pay for the expensive books, uniforms, and supplies that can make attending school difficult or impossible for many Costa Rican children. Instituto Estelar is getting involved by providing the space for these activities as well as English-speaking volunteers. We are delighted to be part of this amazing cause and excited to see the amazing work that Club A will do for the children of Liberia!

You can get involved! Donations and volunteers are needed to help the organization grow and to help as many students as possible. For more information, contact ClubALiberia@gmail.com or donate below.